Prospect Talent Score

Probability of Success

History

2008-09: Max Friberg split the season betweeen the Skovde IK’s Division 1, J-20 and J-18 squads. In 24 games for the Division 1 team, Friberg scored 1 goal and added 3 assists for 4 points. In 17 games for the J-20 team, Friberg scored 13 goals and added 7 assists for 20 points. In 10 games for the J-18 squad, Friberg scored 14 goals and added 18 assists for 32 points.

2009-10: Friberg spent most of the season with Skovde IK’s Division 1 club. In 36 games, he scored 12 goals and added 18 assists for 30 points. Friberg also played for Sweden’s silver medal squad at the 2010 U-18 World Junior Championship, scoring 2 goals and adding 3 assists for 5 points in 6 games.

2010-11: Played for Skovde IK at the Division 1 level, appearing in 34 games for that team. Friberg netted 13 goals and added 27 assists for 40 points. Friberg also played for Sweden at the 2011 U-20 World Junior Championship, scoring 2 goals in 6 games.

2011-12: Friberg played in 48 games for Timra in Sweden’s Elitserien as a rookie and was the leading goal scorer at the 2012 U20 World Junior Championship while playing for gold medal-winning Sweden. Skating for a Timra team that finished last in the 12-team Elitserien, he scored 5 goals with 5 assists and was minus-three with 8 penalty minutes. Timra avoided relegation to AllSvenskan, finishing first in the six-team Kval series. Friberg was the fourth-leading scorer for Timra in the Kval series, scoring 3 goals with 4 assists and finishing minus-one in 10 games. Friberg scored a tournament-best 9 goals with 2 assists and was plus-four with 22 penalty minutes in six games at the WJC. Sweden defeated Russia in the gold medal game. Friberg signed a three-year entry-level contract with Anaheim in June 2012.

2012-13: Friberg saw his first pro action in North America, joining Anaheim AHL affiliate Norfolk in April following his second season with Timra in Sweden’s Elitserien. He had 1 goal and was -5 in six games with the Admirals. Norfolk was fifth in the East Division; two points out of an AHL playoff spot. Friberg scored 8 goals with 8 assists in 55 games for Timra and was -10 with 12 penalty minutes. Timra finished 11th and was relegated to second division AllSvenskan for 2013-14 after finishing third in the Kval Series. Friberg scored 4 goals with 2 assists and was +3 in 10 Kval Series games.

2013-14: Friberg skated for Anaheim AHL affiliate Norfolk in his first season in North America — appearing in 74 of 76 regular season games and all 10 playoff games for the Admirals. Friberg was Norfolk’s third-leading scorer with 17 goals and 23 assists and was -1 with 55 penalty minutes. The Admirals finished third in the East Division and reached the second round in the playoffs. Friberg was one of three players to lead Norfolk with 3 goals and was an even plus/minus with 2 penalty minutes in 10 playoff games.

Talent Analysis

Friberg has explosive offensive potential and relishes physical play while playing a responsible defensive game. He is slightly undersized but is thick and strong and his combination of speed, skill, and the ability to get under the opponent’s skin make him a valuable player.

Future

Friberg attended training camp with the Ducks before being assigned to Anaheim AHL affiliate Norfolk at the start of the 2014-15 season. After a solid first season with the Admirals he is again one of the club's top two-way forwards and was rewarded with a call-up in December — making his NHL debut in a cameo appearance against Vancouver before being returned to the Admirals. Moving forward Friberg has the makings of a versatile top-six or bottom-six winger. While he may not be the scorer he was in junior hockey, his aggressive forecheck and well-rounded game make him a promising talent.

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Photo: Anaheim Ducks 2014 seventh-round pick Ondřej Kaše used his top-shelf speed to help his squad get promoted to the Czech Extraliga for the 2015-16 season (courtesy of Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images)

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The Anaheim Ducks have managed to compile some pretty strong draft picks in recent years. Much to their enjoyment, many of them are panning out in a very good way. Dominant seasons were logged this year by many of the Ducks former first-round selections and several are getting close to the pro level. Take a look at who won what in this year’s Ducks prospect awards.

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Photo: Ducks prospect Nick Ritchie is just under a point-per-game in his OHL career. (courtesy of Terry Wilson/OHL Images)

As a new face emerges as the number one overall prospect with the Ducks, it is hard not to notice the strong group of defensemen and wingers Anaheim currently boasts. A staggering 17 of the 20 listed players on the spring list play either wing or defense. If the goal is to build from the back out, the Ducks have a blossoming mixture of talented defensemen and one of the best young goaltenders in the world to achieve that goal. Up front they also have a nice blend of size, skill, and speed to complement their NHL center depth. While the logjam may end up hurting some of these players’ chances, it currently is a big boost to the organization in terms of depth and quality.